Oh, yay. My first useful review. Not that I'm saying the others are useless, just that this one let's me know what you like and don't like about it.

Yeah, that was an oversight of mine, but looking at my fellow cadets (and cadet officers... Why?)back then makes me think otherwise.

Anyway, thanks for that.

///

[Ties] Bootcamp 14

A lone man stood before a vast city atop a tall building. The city was a concrete and glass jungle illuminated by lights within glass orbs. Flickering, flashing in sporadic intervals before going out and letting the darkness blanket all to their sleep.

Behind the man was a door that opened after the darkness had fallen. Through it walked through two other individuals, another man and a young woman.

"Brother, sister, " said the first man, "do you need something?"

The young woman approached the first man and stopped by his side. She had waist length black hair evenly parted in two before her brown eyes. With just the moonlight for illumination, one could notice her fairly tanned skin blending in with her cream-colored dress.

"Nothing, really, " answered the young woman, "Just that Father seems to be looking for you."

The first man looked into the eyes of his sister, his image reflected fro her eyes. Similar to her, he had short black hair and brown irises, albeit his skin had a lighter shade than hers. Being a head taller, he placed his right hand and caressed her head.

"Is that right?" He replied, "If need be, he could easily find me without much effort."

This time, the other man approached and stopped by behind the two. A tall man, taller by two heads than the first, with similar features but a darker skin tone. He leaned forward and brought the other two to his embrace.

"Considering that it is dinner time, " said the tall man with a smirk, "I'm not surprised. You don't like tonight's dinner, no? Though, you never get tired of this view, do you?"

The two within the tall man's arms looked upon the dark cityscape. For a long time, darkness ruled, but was then swept away once daylight had come. At first sight of light, the city had gone abuzz with life as people filled the streets. The three upon the tall building gazed before the rising sun over the horizon together.

///

A large group of black clothed people filled a battlefield. With their unnatural white skin and hair, and red irises, they tore their enemies asunder with technological marvels yet to be produced by man. Their enemies, people of various flags and races, soldiers of modern armies and armor that could be comparable to another of a different nation lay powerless before the group of black clothed people.

Three people were within an unknown facility in an equally unknown location. Around them were arrays of machines being operated by the same black clothed people. Monitors on the machines displayed events that were happening outside and the movements of certain individuals denoted by a myriad of symbols upon the world map.

"Malachi, Father intends for my Family to take the missiles and rockets from the target bases in America, " said a tall black clothed man, "You, on the other hand, were tasked with securing all operational Soviet-era bases around Eurasia. As for Carmel, you'll be on standby while overseeing the construction of the GODS."

"Ismael, I know it no longer needs to be said, but, " said Carmel, "Do take care of yourself and our siblings. Father would be devastated if you were to perish due to your carelessness. That especially goes for you, too, Malachi. Knowing how reckless you can get when you're too excited."

Malachi raised his hands in mock fear and surrender.

"Easy, sister, " he said, "I understand the importance of this. Besides, I'm more fearful of Father than the possibility of getting killed. We are, after all, his Children."

///

Malachi stood before the figures of Carmel and Ismael chatting happily with one another. He watched them from a distance and was approached by another pair of individuals, a well-dressed man and a black-dressed woman wearing a veil. Malachi heard their footsteps approaching him and turned around.

"Ah, Father, " greeted Malachi, "How are yo—oof!?"

Malachi's Father gave him a roundhouse kick to his left temple, knocking him down to the ground. He struggled to get up and massaged his head before snapping his attention to another approaching kick.

"Father!? What are you doing!?" cried Malachi as he dodged another kick, "Hey!?"

Malachi's Father, dressed in a white suit, had fairly tanned skin, short black hair, and brown irises. Heavily contrasting to Malachi's, and his siblings, appearances. Despite wearing a suit that was difficult to move around in, each kick he delivered never tore his clothes. While Malachi was busy dodging his Father's kicks, the veiled woman from before appeared behind Malachi with a headlock.

"Ah!?" cried Malachi, "What is—oof! Ah! Guh!"

Malachi's Father repeatedly beat him up with a flurry of kicks. Only when Malachi had gone bloody did his attacks stop, and his Father grabbed the hair on his scalp to lift his head. With Malachi's face before his Father's,

"Wake up, you damned brat." said his Father, "Your dreams are over."

"Whuh?" muttered Malachi in confusion, "Whuh vo foo nn? (What do you mean?)"

Malachi's Father whipped his beaten head down.

"Foolish brat." he said, "Kali, if you would."

The woman giving Malachi a headlock placed her lips next to Malachi's right ear and uttered a whisper. As soon as whatever was said entered his ear, his vision blurred and he lost consciousness. Kali released her hold and Malachi's body slumped on the ground.

"A dangerous deed, Lex, " said Kali, "but one that was needed to be done."

Their surroundings suddenly became a vast empty, but white, space. The figures of Carmel and Ismael disappearing along with it left Malachi with his Father and Kali. As soon as they were alone, Malachi's Father crouched next to the unconscious body and caressed his head with an ironically endearing smile.

"You are my legacy, " he whispered, "It is time to wake up."

Malachi's Father left and, with him, was a large black cat following closely from behind.

///

Arlianne was busy tending to Malachi's unconscious self. She brought with her a basin of water and a cloth for her to clean his body with. From the clock that was present in the room, the time shown was on the eighth hour in the morning. Arlianne placed the basin of water on a nearby table, and proceeded to loosen Malachi's clothes. However, she paused as she heard something leave Malachi's lips after getting his shirt off.

"Whuh... Fa... ther..." said Malachi in his sleep, "Why..."

"Malachi? Are you... Are you awake?" she asked him, "Hey, Malachi?"

Arlianne intensely watched his face for any sign of consciousness. She held his hand close to her body as she waited for a response. Finally, after a long while, Malachi's hand twitched in hers, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Malachi? Malachi!?" she cried repeatedly, "Please, please wake up."

Slowly but surely, Malachi's eyes opened, revealing his crimson irises to her. However, a surprise came to Arlianne afterwards.

"Hmm? Carmel?" said Malachi. His first words upon his awakening were not her name, but of someone else. A stranger's name first left his lips.

Arlianne's gaze shook upon hearing this, and dropped the hand she held on the bed. Once Malachi's hand abruptly dropped, he became fully awake.

"Ah... Ar... Arlianne?" he said, "Where... am I?"

Malachi raised himself from the bed, his blanket sliding off to reveal his well-toned body. He held his head with a hand, and steadied himself with the other. He looked to his right at Arlianne that had a strange expression.

"This place is... not my room, " he said as he surveyed his surroundings, "I'm half naked with bandages and... uh, wait... How did I get here, Arlianne? Also, did you somehow change from before? Wait, what about the ants?"

Wondering about his present situation, he tried to get answers from Arlianne. Arlianne, however, sharpened her gaze, and stared directly into his eyes.

"Before that, Malachi, who's Carmel?" she asked, "Why did you call out to her when you saw me?"

Malachi was surprised.

"Huh? Did I say that?" he replied in confusion then he thought back, 'Wait, was that all a dream before?'

Arlianne frowned.

"Yes, you did." she said monotonously, "You said, 'Carmel,' when you looked at me once you opened your eyes."

"Ah..." muttered Malachi, "Carmel, huh..."

Contrary to her expectations, Malachi had a saddened face. Even more so when he explained who she was.

"Carmel was my sister from my life before, " he said, "As I slept, I had a dream of the past, and I guess I still thought of those dreams when I woke up."

Arlianne made a complicated expression, and her face softened.

"I see..." she said, "I'm sorry for asking."

Her previously stern expression changed into an expression of worry. Naturally, Malachi noticed this and asked with a wry smile,

"Could it be, " he said, "are you jealous?"

Arlianne became angry.

"What!? No, I'm not!" she cried.

Malachi smiled.

"Yeah, right, you're jealous, " he said persistently, "You're jealous because I remembered someone else's name rather than yours when I saw you."

"Hmph!" she said as she turned her head away with a pout.

"Haha, you're so cute, Arlianne." He said as he pulled her close to an embrace, "Heh, don't struggle so much."

Malachi poked Arlianne's cheek in jest, and the girl struggled to escape his grasp. For a man who had been unconscious, he had surprising arm strength to be able to hold her down. Realizing that her efforts were in vain, she just left her body to his whims.

Malachi hugged Arlianne close to him, and nestled his face on the back of her head. Arlianne's hair moved as Malachi breathed in and out. As soon as it became quiet, Malachi whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry, " he said, "I'm sorry, for worrying you."

Arlianne glanced at Malachi's head that was rested next to hers, and brought her hand to rub his head in response. Quietly, they remained like that for a while. The next moment, though, the door to the room opened, and a woman walked in with a basket of clothes.

"Arlianne, I have Mally's clothes here with... Eh?" The woman stared at the half-naked man and young woman on the bed.

"Hmm, Mama?" said Malachi, "Uh, this isn't what it looks like."

The woman, Malachi's mother, Bashia, covered her mouth in disbelief. Tears suddenly formed and fell down her eyes as she looked upon Malachi.

"Mally!" she cried, running over to him and tackling him on the bed. Malachi's breath was knocked out of him, but Arlianne safely evaded from getting hit.

"Ma... Mama..." he groaned, "You... You're crushing... me."

Bashia ignored his please for repose, and kept her tightened embrace on him.

"Mally! Mally!" she cried repeatedly, "Mally! You're awake! You're awake!"

Bashia poured out her tears as she embraced her son, and her bawling was noticed by the guards and doctors outside the room. The first to come in after was a male Eskur doctor, Ibrahim.

"What in the world is happening here!?" he cried in alarm, "Bashia!? What... Malachi? You're awake?"

"Doc... Help..." said Malachi, reaching his hand out to Ibrahim, "Lack... of air... Failing..."

Ibrahim panicked and tried to pull Bashia away from Malachi.

"Bashia! Bashia!" he called out to her, "Calm yourself! I understand your frustrations, but your son had just recently woke up!"

"Ah!" cried Bashia as she was pulled away by Ibrahim, assisted by a guard.

With liberty to breath, Malachi tried to stabilize his breathing before turning his attention to his visitors.

"Phew... I suppose whatever happened to me warranted that?" he asked, "I also see that you all seemed to have changed a lot since I last saw you. How long was I knocked out?"

His visitors looked at one another with complicated expressions, even Bashia didn't know what to say as she was held back by an accompanying guard. Interestingly, even the guards wore complicated expressions upon hearing his inquiry.

Ibrahim let out a sigh before giving an answer.

"Malachi, before now, we never thought you'd wake up." he said, "When you had gone unconscious, you had an intense fever that lasted for a month. Strangely, though, you weren't in pain, nor were you showing signs of discomfort. Despite your body being on fire, everything about you was normal."

Malachi listened intently. When he heard that he had a month-long fever, he was surprised, but he didn't interrupt Ibrahim.

"After that month, " continued Ibrahim, "your fever subsided, but you still hadn't regained consciousness. You still breathed, despite being unable to take in much nourishment, and maintained a healthy body. Although your body did shrink a bit due to malnutrition, not once were you showing signs of any illness. Long story, short... You were asleep for a year. Being able to live that long without anything to eat is baffling, Malachi."

Malachi knit his brows as he observed the changes that occurred on his body. Despite having a well-toned figure, he evidently had gone thinner than before. Not enough to be skin and bones, but just enough to see his lack of meat.

As he turned his body around for inspection, Ibrahim and the rest showed shocked expressions once he turned his back to them.

"Malachi! Wait!" shouted Ibrahim, "Take off your clothes and bandages, all of them!"

Malachi tilted his head in confusion, but did so, anyway, seeing the severity of Ibrahim's gaze and the expressions of the others. Malachi got off his bed, tried to keep his balance, and removed all of his clothes. He then turned around, and showed his back to them.

"What's up, doc?" asked Malachi.

Ibrahim placed his fingers on Malachi's back, and touched it from all over. Ibrahim became even more confused the longer he stuck his hand on Malachi's back.

"Doc, it really feels awkward having you touch me like that, " commented Malachi, "I understand that you're a doctor, but..."

"Malachi, do you recall being burned?" asked Ibrahim, "Your entire back had a large burn even as you slept."

"A burn?" wondered Malachi, "What do you mean, doc? Well, yes, I remember becoming crispy."

Ibrahim stepped back, and let Malachi get dressed. He pulled out a knife from his carrying case.

"Malachi, us Eskurs have a strange recovery ability unknown to other races." said Ibrahim, "I want you to observe what I'm about to do."

"Doc, what are you... Doc!?" cried Malachi in surprise.

Arlianne and the guards also gasped in alarm, but Bashia remained unaffected.

Ibrahim, with knife in one hand, cut the palm of his other hand. Blood naturally poured out, and he placed his knife on the table before using his free hand to cover the wound. For a while, his blood poured out onto the floor, until it trickled to a stop. When there was no more blood, he revealed his scarred palm to Malachi.

"Our wounds close faster than normal, and this scar will only remain for a few days." explained Ibrahim, "Scars of this severity would only take a day or two before it disappears. Any worse, and we would take months for it to completely mend. Your wound, however, was a very severe burn that our own Eskur Engineers have a hard time to heal from."

Malachi pondered on his words, and made a face of realization. Ibrahim nodded.

"A burn that resulted from a Queen Ant, of all things, would take an entire lifetime to heal." added Ibrahim, "You, however, took only a year and no wound nor scar could be visibly seen."

Malachi reached back and felt is flesh. He suddenly sat back on the bed in wonder. The flesh on his back was smooth and healthy, with no scar to remind him of his past.

"Do you have any idea what could have caused this, Malachi?" inquired Ibrahim.

Malachi stared at the doctor that stood before him. He momentarily glanced at the guards with them, and Ibrahim noticed his intentions. Ibrahim signaled to the guards to leave them alone for a while. Once the guards left and closed the door, Malachi answered.

"I... I cannot say for certain, but..." he said, "I feel that my past abilities carried over to this life. I cannot explain how or why, but it seems the only possibility that exists."

" 'Abilities,' Malachi?" repeated Ibrahim.

"In my past life, I was an ordinary human being." explained Malachi, "That was until my Father from before touched upon a strange power and changed me and my siblings."

Ibrahim and the rest silently listened.

'Changed him?' thought Ibrahim, 'Human experimentation? His father did so?'

"My appearance from before was, to be honest, similar to how Perlasians looked like." He said as he pointed at Arlianne. "Black hair, tanned skin, brown irises. Whatever my Father had done to us, our appearances changed to those similar of this world's Eskurs: white hair, whiter than fair skin, and red irises. With those changes, we became superhumans that were more powerful than ordinary humans."

"Why the need to alter yourselves?" asked Ibrahim, "Did your father also change with you?"

Malachi smirked.

"Heh, out of all the people, though, " he replied, "Father changed the most. Not by his appearance, but his entire being. He declared war on the world."

Although Malachi was smiling, like it was a joke, the rest didn't know how to react. For one to declare war on the world, no matter how stupid it was, that shouldn't be treated as a joke. A global war on a massive scale.

"Ah, I've gone off-topic, " commented Malachi, "Anyway, with those changes done to me, I've become comparable to the Eskurs of this world."

Ibrahim stared at Malachi for a while. He hung his head, let out a deep sigh, and massaged the back of his head.

"Bashia, Arlianne. Please call for Emmanuel, " he said, "Malachi's awake now, and he would love the good news. For now, let us all keep this conversation just among us. Anyone else wouldn't take him seriously, after all, and he might just be treated as a lunatic or, worse, a monster. As for you, Malachi, we will need to get you up to speed."

///

Rhiamalka, the Royal Palace viewing terrace.

Rows of Steam Knights, Fusiliers, Engineers, and officers lined up on either side of a terrace overlooking the city. Between them, the two Princes stood behind the reigning king, King Eleazar Arkansius Perlas. Both Emmanuel and Elijah wore ceremonial dresses while Eleazar wore his royal garments. All of them were in audience with the entirety of Rhiamalka's citizens.

"I welcome all to bear witness, " announced Eleazar, "The time has come for the next generation to inherit our kingdom's legacy as its rulers and its protectors."

Eleazar's booming voice resounded throughout the city through loudspeakers spread out all around. It was the time for Eleazar to abdicate the throne and officially choose between his two sons who will be the next king. Loud cheers of support, each for Emmanuel and Elijah, erupted from below the terrace. Enlisted personnel had been deployed to keep the peace within the audience.

Emmanuel and Elijah straightened themselves when they heard the people cheering for their names respectively. Both had large beads of sweat pour down their face, and the hot winds were not helping in relieving them of their anxiety.

'For all the years working and training myself for this day, ' thought Emmanuel, 'depending on how it plays out...'

Emmanuel glanced at his brother beside him.

'Ever since the incident with the Queen Ant, Elijah had become even more secretive. I wonder what happened.'

"Emmanuel, Elijah, come." called out Eleazar.

The two princes simultaneously walked towards Eleazar and stood on either side, facing the masses before them. Once more the crowd cheered for their respective prince as support. Their hearts beat fiercely in anticipation of Eleazar's decision.

"Generations before, " continued Eleazar, "the heir was either the sole child or, in the case of my two sons here, the most successful in a myriad of fields. Governance, military, politics, just a few critical necessities as this Kingdom's ruler and protector. The next kings must be able to, not just sit on the throne and look appealing, but also be an effective leader and guardian to his people."

The crowd had gone silent, pondering on his words. A few let out snickers from hearing Eleazar's words.

"This time, however, the decision has come with great difficulty. Both of my sons may have contrasted one another, but both had performed wonderfully with their respective strengths. I tell you this, as their father, I am proud of them."

Eleazar stepped forward, turned around, and gave a wry smile to both of his sons.

"No matter what they had done to get here."

Emmanuel and Elijah looked at Eleazar with surprised expressions.

'He... couldn't have known... could he?' This thought ran through both their minds. Each of them, however thought of different things.

'Father is, as expected, a force to be reckoned with.' thought Emmanuel.

'No wonder he is still alive and kicking.' groaned Elijah.

Eleazar returned to face the crowded audience.

"Yet, only one may be chosen to rule, " said Eleazar with a solemn voice then became booming once more, "With great amounts of thoughts and time of contemplation, I hope that whichever of them becomes chosen wouldn't disappoint, not me, but the people of this kingdom."

Eleazar raised a hand, and the palace gates down below opened.

...

In the crowd, Malachi and the rest stood as they watched the event of a lifetime.

"Someone refresh my memory on how the kingdom does its successions, " commented Malachi, "Judging from how gramps worded out his announcement, he seems to be planning something else."

"Well, your great grandfather and forefathers often chose their heirs on their own, " explained Ibrahim, "There was the occasional diversion from the norm where the sons would compete for the throne. Others just killed the rest or usurped the throne. Although, for this one, His Majesty does seem to be planning something."

"How many generations has it been since the first king?" asked Malachi, "I lost count at thirty."

"His Majesty Eleazar should be the 67th king, " answered Ibrahim, "Well, that's what the official records say. In the span of 300 years, however, a lot has happened since the unification."

"The war that united the Perlasians as one and gave birth to the first king." uttered Malachi, "A 300-year lineage, I doubt it remained pure even until now."

"Can't say much with just what the official records show, " said Ibrahim as he shrugged, "Huh? The gates are opening."

The gates to the place opened to reveal a large group of people carrying boxes and papers. The people from the palace went out and lined up before the crowd.

Eleazar begun speaking again.

"I had a hard time choosing between the two, " he said, "I had gotten to the point of waiting for either of them to just usurp the throne. Who knew I would actually reach old age to abdicate."

Eleazar laughed at his words, but the two princes went slackjawed instead.

'What are you saying, old man?' thought Emmanuel, 'How were we supposed to usurp someone who could still fight like he was thirty?'

'Usurp!?' thought Elijah, 'How would I usurp you if poisons won't even work with how tight your guard is!?'

"I even thought to continue ruling until I die, haha, but I am already growing tired, " continued Eleazar, "That said, I thought of a different way to choose the heir."

Malachi held his head.

"Don't tell me..." he commented

"What's wrong, Mally?" wondered Bashia, "Do you know something?"

The others looked at the boy holding his head. Malachi let out a dry laugh.

"I understood how much freedom was given to certain generations, but this amount is ridiculous." he added, "Is this still a monarchy?"

Eleazar's voice was heard once again.

"I leave it to you, citizens of the kingdom."

Silence flooded the city. Even the soldiers that kept the peace turned their heads and stared at their abdicating king.

"Not only will the people in the capital be choosing the next king, the other cities, towns, and villages will take part in it as well. Let us have a vote to see which one the kingdom's people want the most. Just write down either of my sons' names on the paper, and place it in the box."

Eleazar turned and walked back into the palace, leaving many astonished people behind. Astonished, plus one laughing boy.

"Mally, it's not nice to laugh." scolded Bashia, "His Majesty surely must have a reason for doing this."

"Sorry, Mama, " apologized Malachi, "Even so, I think gramps just got lazy. I mean, knowing Pops and uncle? If possible, I'd have the both of them fuse as one person. With the size of their respective factions, and seeing what kind of people are in it, you'd probably understand what gramps meant to do."

"His Majesty wants to remain neutral in this matter, " guessed Arlianne, "and ought to just have the two factions compete with one another?"

"That's one possibility, " said Malachi, "just tallying the scores is going to be entertaining. The only thing that gramps will be responsible for is a fair election, whatever it may take since, if you look at some of the guards, the way they move suggests his own faction."

Apart from the soldiers keeping the peace, the guards posted next to the supposed election officials had stern expressions unaffected by Eleazar's announcement. It was as if they already knew beforehand what he had planned to do.

"Gramps has his own faction separate from Pops' and uncle's factions, " said Malachi, "The way gramps thinks is awe-inspiring. Even if he does abdicate, I think he still has a nice grip on power."